Burning Bright

Collection: Big Cats

The Amur tigers, better known as Siberian tigers, are hard to miss at the Philadelphia Zoo. Housed among other large cats, their outdoor habitat includes a grassy area, a few trees, a pool, and two watching areas. There were two tigers on view last Wednesday afternoon. They were not particularly playful or interactive, and visitors had the feeling that they were the ones being observed. Unlike the other items reviewed in this blog, this one is alive, and has many needs. Thus, the exhibit's main priority is fulfilling these needs, while connecting to its audience is a close second.

There are two primary and connected reasons why this particular species is on display. In once sense, they embody everything that a prototypical (and traditional) zoo would have: something large, exotic, beautiful, and dangerous. For the last couple of centuries, zoos brought in the multitudes with their tigers, lions, and polar bears -- not their rats or lizards.

On the other hand, Amur tigers are in danger of extinction. While it may be difficult to get visitors to care about the survival of the endangered jerboa, a nocturnal rodent that is difficult to display, they would have a hard time looking at such a universally acknowledged majestic animal such as these tigers and not want to help the species live on. By prodding visitors into this stewardship mode, the zoo helps to ensure the survival of many animals, jerboa included.

I think that the zoo could encourage further thought on each animal by approaching it in different ways. It would be interesting to see how the audience would react to the history of how societies have interacted with the Amur tiger. Would they look differently at it knowing that a Siberian tribe called it "Grandfather" and considered it a near-deity? How has the decimation of species affected its natural habitat, and has that changed the way neighboring humans have lived. Many have heard William Blake's "Tyger! Tyger!" poem, but how many have had a chance to read or hear it while actually being able to observe a tiger?

In some ways, a tiger exhibit is an easy choice for an exhibit that guarantees to bring visitors to the zoo. They may expect to come and stare at the animals, reliving childhood experiences and passing them down to other generations. But why not shake up that concept a bit more, and really challenge the way visitors, new and old, interact with the animals?